33rd Infantry Battalion (Spec-Ops: The Line)
The 33rd Infantry Battalion '''is a large combat unit of the United States Army led by Colonel John Konrad. '''History The 33rd Infantry, on their way out of Afghanistan, was volunteered by Colonel Konrad to assist in the evacuation of Dubai. However, when they received the direct order to abandon the city before all the civilians were evacuated, Konrad and the 33rd disobeyed those orders and remained to assist the remaining citizens. But when the storm wall hit Dubai, the city was devastated, and evacuation became virtually impossible. The local population panicked, causing the 33rd to institute martial law, policing the city through increasingly harsh methods. Months later, as the storm continued to surround the city, Konrad and the 33rd attempted to lead a convoy out of Dubai by road. The evacuation failed horribly, resulting in the loss of 1,300 civilians and many soldiers. After this failed attempt, many of the 33rd, including Konrad's command staff, rebelled against Konrad, becoming "The Exiles". Those that remained loyal to Konrad became "The Damned". Civil war broke out between the Exiles and the Damned, with the Damned eventually winning the conflict. Konrad executed the remaining mutineers and displayed their bodies as a warning against future insurrection. However this did not stop a local insurgency, comprised of the Dubai's Refugees, from appearing to rebel against the 33rd's police state. Some point later however, the 33rd was able to negotiate them into a ceasefire. About five and a half months after Konrad's failed evacuation attempt, he broadcasted a message recounting his failure through the storm wall, which was received by the US. This prompted them to send a Squad of Delta Operatives, lead by Captain Martin Walker, to investigate and search the city for any survivors. By the time Delta squad reach Dubai, all remnants of the Exiles has been stamped out, making the entire remaining 33rd Infantry members of the Damned. When Delta squad first encounters the 33rd Infantry, they are being attacked by the Refugee insurgents, which causes Walker to try to aid their fellow US soldiers. However later the 33rd mistake Delta squad for members of the CIA, which also have at some point gone to war with the 33rd, and become hostile. This leads the 33rd Infantry to becoming the main enemy within the campaign. Later Delta squad discover the atrocities the 33rd have committed in attempting to maintain peace and safety, while also committing atrocities of their own reenforcing the 33rd's desire to kill them. Leader Lieutenant Colonel John Konrad is the main antagonist of Spec Ops: The Line and the former commander of the 33rd Infantry Battalion. Colonel Konrad and his men volunteered to help evacuate Dubai during the sandstorm crisis, but when ordered to leave by his military superiors, he refused, essentially damning the 33rd Infantry. Konrad had intended to stay behind and evacuate survivors. He and his men established a new military government in Dubai to maintain order while the evacuation plan was set up. When he attempted his evacuation by road, it failed drastically, leaving 1,300 men, women, children, dead because of his ignorance. At the end of the story, he is found at the top of the tower, painting a woman and child being stuck in a crowd dying from white phosphorous (reminding Walker of the events at the Gate), and Walker discovers that Konrad has been dead before Delta arrived in Dubai. The real Colonel Konrad committed suicide after delivering the broadcast two weeks prior, out of guilt for the morally wrong decisions the 33rd ultimately made for the greater good. The Colonel Walker has been in contact with for the latter half of the game is actually a traumatic hallucination, existing only within his sub-consciousness (acting as the grief in Walker's mind). According to one of the intel items, a CIA file on the psycho-analysis of John Konrad, the Colonel may have gone to Dubai trying to restore his reputation. He was a highly decorated leader, but his last combat mission in Afghanistan was a failure. According to the file, Konrad had been praised so much previously, that he had come to believe he was a hero, and that when faced with his first failure, he might go to extreme lengths to prove his hero status correct. This explains why he knew what Walker was going through. Konrad had also tried to be a hero, which had dire consequences of the actions he made. Forces Unique to the Exiles, the Breacher is an explosives expert that helps you get the biggest bang from your grenades and rockets. The Breacher can carry up to eight grenades or C4, each of which pack a 10% larger blast radius. The Breacher really comes into his own in Buried matches, provided you’ve reenlisted. Not only can you carry triple the capacity of grenades and C4, but you’ll be able to inflict greater damage to Vital Points and the enemy HVT. The Breacher’s increased explosive radius also benefits nearby teammates. The actual grenade or C4 needn’t detonate within twenty meters of the Breacher. Rather, any C4 or grenade deployed by a nearby teammate will experience the increased radius, even Proximity Mines placed clear across the map. The Scavenger is The Damned’s answer to the Breacher. The Scavenger (and nearby teammates) enjoy a similar increased explosive radius as does the Breacher, but that’s the extent of the similarities. Whereas the Breacher is designed to inflict greater explosive damage, the Scavenger is best-suited for withstanding explosive attacks and cleaning up after them. The Scavenger takes substantially less damage from explosives—enough to survive a single Frag Grenade or C4 explosion. The Scavenger can also repair damaged Vital Points significantly faster than any other class, making it the ideal class to have on defense during games of Buried. The Scavenger really comes into its own after reenlisting. It retains the abilities of the Level 1 Class Bonus while gaining the ability to carry double the ammo and retrieve additional grenades and ammo from drops. Reenlisted Scavengers are excellent front-line attackers, capable of absorbing enemy Proximity Mines and clearing a path for teammates en route to the enemy base. The Officer class is an offensive-minded support class that can alter the flow of a battle before firing a single round. Officers and nearby teammates benefit from a significant damage reduction. Officers also gain a 50% boost to other class abilities that they are within range of. For example, an Officer standing near a Medic and Gunner inflicts 30% greater damage and enjoy 30% faster health regen, a opposed to the normal 20% bonuses. What truly sets the Officer apart is his ability to call in a supply drop. Any teammate who enters the glowing supply drop area has their ammo and grenade supply filled. Similarly, the Officer can also place an objective on the map. Teammates that stand within 10 meters of the objective gain favorable damage increases/reductions. Officers need to be a part of the action, but not necessarily the tip of the spear. Hang back – perhaps to defend a Medic – and deploy supply drops and issue objectives to grant damage bonuses to your Gunner or Breacher. It’s important to not take unnecessary risks as an Officer, as the entire team stands to suffer if you do. A skilled Officer can be particularly beneficial in games of Mutiny and Attrition. The Medic '''serves an important role, but is not for everyone. The Medic is best for players who embrace teamwork, communicate well, and don’t mind playing more of a support role. All teams, particularly in Mutiny and Attrition matches, should have a Medic amongst their ranks. The Medic increases the health regeneration rate of all nearby teammates. Medic players can also manually inject a shot of adrenaline to a teammate, thereby giving him 5 seconds of protection from general damage other than headshots and explosives. Try to administer this adrenaline boost to teammates as they capture a Rally Point or Control Point in games of Uplink. Lastly, the Medic can quickly heal teammates in DBNO and send them back into the fray with 5 seconds of invincibility. The best Medics tend to hang back behind cover but maintain contact with their teammates so as to provide the health regeneration bonus. The '''Gunner is an available multiplayer class in Spec Ops: The Line multiplayer. They are basic foot soldiers whose high damage output and resistance can allow them to be either powerful shock troopers or resilient heavy units. They are the only class capable of adding a heavy weapon to their loadout, which they carry it as a secondary weapon. After re-enlisting however they can carry a heavy weapon as both secondary and primary weapons. Gunners take 20% less damage from enemy attacks, making them capable of striking out alone in Chaos matches or playing defense in Uplink or Buried. Gunners also benefit from a 20% damage increase, a benefit they share with nearby teammates. This damage increase can be particularly beneficial when paired alongside an Officer or Breacher when going after an enemy Vital Point in Buried matches. Snipers are a character class that benefit from substantially increased accuracy, a bonus that spreads to nearby teammates as well. It’s best to consider this an accidental benefit, as snipers tend to be most effective when lurking in the shadows, alone. That said, it can pay to have a nearby Gunner or Officer serving either as a bodyguard to be protected or distraction to confuse the enemy. The sniper’s two other unique traits are perhaps the most important to the team. Snipers can “mark” an enemy by using their rifle’s scope to tag the enemy. Assuming the sniper doesn’t kill the target right away, the enemy becomes visible on the minimap for 60 seconds. Finally, snipers wear a special meta-material Ghillie suit that allows the wearer to appear invisible after remaining motionless for 4 seconds. Any motion at all—even to shoulder the rifle or lower it—breaks the effect. This benefit is particularly useful after reenlistment. To achieve the greatest success as a sniper, seek out hiding places along the perimeter of the map that offer a concealed view of the battlefield. Good sniping positions are typically dark, elevated, and feature plenty of cover that the sniper can hide behind. Once reenlisted, make sure to have a sniper on hand to defend or attack enemy Com Stations in Uplink matches. Edged Weapon Experts (or "Bayonet Runners") are a type of enemy in Spec Ops: The Line. They are the fastest enemy encountered and are capable of dodging weapons fire, however they never take cover and have little armor. They are equipped with a bayonet and will attempt to charge straight at the player. The Heavy Trooper is a type of enemy soldier that appears in Spec Ops: The Line. They are heavy assault soldiers of the 33rd Infantry that wear a menacing balaclava and large jury-rigged black armor cannibalized from ballistic and armor plates. They are typically equipped with an M249 SAW light machine gun or AA-12 shotgun, which makes them 33rd's heavy hitters. Fighting them head-on is ill-advised, as they can easily withstand high amounts of damage while also dealing out high damage themselves. The best way to kill them is to take advantage of their slow speed and inability to take cover, such as pelting them with grenades and flash bangs, using blind fire, or concentrating fire on them via Squad Commands. The Zulu Squad is the 33rd Infantry's elite fighting force. They were first seen in Chapter 10 when Riggs was picking the door's lock. After that, they continue to appear multiple times in the campaign. They can easily be distinguished by their black and orange armour and black and white helmet. Their presence can be detected by listening to their audible radio conversations. They are always equipped with either a P90 or SCAR-H and take more damage than normal 33rd soldiers, due at least in part to their additional armour. Factions The Damned are a multiplayer faction in Spec Ops: The Line. They are composed of soldiers of the 33rd Infantry who remained loyal to Colonel Konrad during the crisis in Dubai. They have an overall "psychotic" appearance, as opposed to The Exiles, who have a more professional, and militaristic look. The Damned have access to the Scavenger class, which is better at repairing Vital Points, take less explosive damage, and their explosives have an increased radius. The Damned enjoy faction bonuses that aided them in ways that allow for a slightly more covert approach to combat. For starters, they benefit from a slight increase in ranged weapon effectiveness. This bonus gives just enough of an edge to their Snipers and those in long-range standoffs to tilt the balance in their favour, assuming all else is equal. The Damned gain a small XP bonus for kills made while in the sandstorm. They have a reduction to fall damage, which enables them to drop off nearly any ledge without fear of dying (falling off a bridge on Crow’s Nest is still fatal, as there is effectively no bottom to land on). Whereas the Exiles are encouraged to carry a pistol as a secondary weapon, those playing as an Exile may want to consider equipping a sniper rifle alongside their standard assault rifle or shotgun even when not playing as a Sniper so as to take advantage of the slight increase in weapon range effectiveness. The''' Exiles''' are a multiplayer faction in Spec Ops: The Line. They are composed mostly of renegade soldiers of the 33rd Infantry who have rebelled against Colonel Konrad's orders during the crisis in Dubai. They have an overall more professional and military appearance than The Damned, which have a more rag-tag appearance. The Exiles have access to the Breacher class, which deals more damage with explosives and can carry double the amount of them. The Exiles’ faction bonuses aid them in moving quickly across the map and close-range combat. The damage reduction offered while on zip-lines and fast ropes is particularly useful on maps like Crow’s Nest and Extinction that feature numerous zip-lines. The 10% damage bonus for pistol usage is helpful—especially for those who have unlocked the Desert Eagle or .44 Magnum—and in the right hands can be enough of an advantage to forgo equipping the Always Prepared perk. Lastly, the XP bonus for melee kills comes in handy for those who like to hunt from the shadows and for heavily armored Breachers who can get in close to their enemy. This bonus makes it certainly worth downing your enemy with non-fatal shots and moving in for the execution. Equipment As a U.S. Stryker battalion, the 33rd had access to standard military equipment. But because they were stranded in a hostile environment for so long, some of this valued equipment was lost, forcing them to scavenge for additional firearms. Most soldiers wear standard ACUs, with the notable exception of the Zulu squad, which wear stronger armor. Many, if not most, of the battalion's vehicles had been lost either to hostile fire, being buried in sand, lack of fuel, or lack of practical use in the unstable, sandy environment. The AH-6J Little Bird is a helicopter that appears in Spec Ops: The Line. It is used by the 33rd Infantry to attack Delta Force. They appear in the campaign during the Intro, Chapter 6 and Chapter 12. They can be shoot down by using the stolen UH-60 Blackhawk during the Intro and Chapter 12 (as these are technically the same scene), but in Chapter 6 there is no method of eliminating it and so it must be fled from. The UH-60 Blackhawk is a helicopter that appears in Spec Ops: The Line. The 33rd Infantry in Dubai has possession of few of these helicopters, which were put to use in battling Agent Gould's insurgents and in deploying Zulu Squad to the Radioman's tower to fight Delta. Both of these helicopters were eventually destroyed. The UH-60 has thicker armor and greater lift capability than the AH-6J Little Bird. It has a crew of four- a pilot, a co-pilot, and two crew chiefs- and can hold a full squad of soldiers. As a troop transport, it is typically armed with two cabin-mounted machineguns, but can also carry a variety of rocket launchers and gunpods under its removable stub wings. The 33rd seems to use the M134 7.62mm miniguns and passengers' weapons for defense and offense. The Stryker is an armoured fighting vehicle shown in Spec Ops: The Line. Throughout the singleplayer campaign, abandoned Strykers can be seen in every place in Dubai. Most appear to have been lost to either sandstorms or enemy actions. The harsh and unstable terrain reduces the effectiveness of wheeled vehicles, and as fuel becomes scarce in the now-isolated Dubai, the 33rd seems to use their remaining Strykers sparingly. A Stryker infantry carrier can transport a squad of up to 9 soldiers, depending on the bulk of the weapons and equipment they carry. A typical mounted squad of the 33rd Infantry currently consists of 5 soldiers: 3 normal soldiers, 1 heavy trooper, and 1 edged weapon expert. The HMMWV is a four-wheel drive military automobile that appears in Spec Ops: The Line. Throughout the singleplayer campaign, multiple empty and destroyed HMMWS are seen with desert camouflage. It is also seen in the epilogue being driven by Falcon One in woodland camo. One 33rd soldier can be heard ordering his men to help him scrap a Stryker for metal to jury-rig extra armor on their HMMWVs. Category:Enemy Faction Category:Military Organization Category:Enemy Military Organization